Marking Guidelines for Year 6 Writing Test 1: Writing a Biography

5 points (Band 3) Text Level The title is thoughtful and effective Includes an introduction that tells what Roald Dahl is famous for Writes in paragraphs Paragraphs tell the story of the authors life in chronological order Concludes the text with an interesting comment or/and makes a connection that creates meaning for the reader Sentence level Writes in sentences Writes the main body of the text in the past tense Uses the present tense in the introduction, conclusion and other relevant points Most sentences make sense and are well-punctuated Sentences vary in structure Punctuates direct speech correctly Writes in sentences Writes mainly in the past tense Most sentences make sense and well punctuated Evidence of some sentences varying in structure but could use more conjunctions Shows evidence of punctuating direct speech correctly but is not always consistent Sometimes uses complete sentence but these do not always make sense Inconsistent use of tenses Some evidence of punctuation but lacks consistency throughout Word Level Uses time connectives to link sentences/paragraphs Uses a range of vocabulary Most words are spelt correctly

3-4 points (Band 2)

The title comes close to capturing the central idea Includes an opening sentence that tells the reader that the biography is about Roald Dahl Mainly writes in paragraphs but not necessarily throughout the text The text tells the main points of the authors life in chronological order Includes quotes from Roald Dahl but not necessarily able to connect them appropriately to the text Finishes with a final comment The simple title conveys the topic Introduction does not tell the reader that the text is going to be about Roald Dahl The text lacks structure with little use of paragraphs The text tells the main points of the authors life in the order set out in the information table A quote may be included but does not form coherent part of the text Biography seems to drift off at the end and lack a strict, concluding comment The piece has no title A few elements of the process are present- the text lacks structure

At times, uses time connectors to link sentences/paragraphs but lacks consistency Uses a range of vocabulary but the use of certain words is sometimes repetitive Most high-frequency words are spelt correctly with errors in less familiar vocabulary

2 points (Band 1)

No or little use of time connectors Restricted use of vocabulary While some words are spelt correctly, there are many errors

1 point (Working towards band 1)

Does not write in complete sentences Unable to apply main grammatical structures to writing

Uses very basic vocabulary Many words are difficult to decipher